Land Rover Global Ambassador and professional explorer Ben Saunders sets off on the most ambitious polar expedition in more than 100 years

Land Rover is a co-presenting partner of The Scott Expedition

A 2,880km, four-month unsupported return journey from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole on foot that will retrace the route taken by Captain Scott on his ill-fated Terra Nova expedition more than a century ago

Ben’s preparation for the expedition included the use of the Cold Climate Chamber at Jaguar Land Rover, the chamber is an integral part of the development of all Jaguar Land Rover Products

Professional explorer Ben will share his story with a global audience of millions through innovative technology that will allow him to capture, upload via satellite and share the experience online through text, images and videos

Whitley, UK, 3 October 2013 – British polar explorer and Land Rover Global Brand Ambassador Ben Saunders, 36, will leave the UK today to embark on a world record-breaking challenge to accomplish the longest unsupported polar journey in history.

Accompanied by fellow adventurer Tarka L’Herpiniere, explorer and professional athlete Ben will travel to Antarctica for The Scott Expedition in a bid to finish Captain Scott’s original Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole in 1912. He aims to be the first to accomplish the return polar journey, walking from Scott’s Hut at the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back again, just over a century on from Scott’s heroic attempt. Walking on average 9.5 hours per day, the expedition is estimated to take 110 days with its finish date likely to be mid-February 2014.

The 2,880 km trek, equivalent to 69 back-to-back marathons and in temperatures down to minus -50ºC (Wind-chill -70ºC), will be the longest unsupported polar expedition ever made. Not only setting a new benchmark in terms of physical endeavour, the expedition will break new ground in the use of high-tech digital equipment. Ben, known in the polar world for his penchant for blogging live from his expeditions will share his story with a global audience of millions through innovative technology, courtesy of co-expedition partner Intel, that will allow him to capture, upload and share the experience online through text, images, videos and social media updates direct from Antarctica.

Land Rover is a co-presenting partner of The Scott Expedition, which promises challenges that reflect the spirit of adventure, capability and rugged quality that are fundamental to Land Rover’s brand and heritage.

Ben’s Land Rover Discovery has also played a vital part in assisting his training, which often takes place in hard to reach places in the UK, Europe and Greenland.

Mark Cameron, Land Rover’s Global Brand Experience Director said: “The Scott Expedition is an enormous challenge that honours a heroic spirit of adventure that has endured for more than 100 years. There are very good reasons why no one in history has ever completed this epic polar expedition. The Scott Expedition represents perfectly our brand’s heritage and the endurance and capability of our vehicles in the toughest environments”.Ben Saunders said: “I am an explorer of limits – geographically, physically and mentally. At its heart this journey is about pure human endeavour, and the way in which I can inspire others to explore their own personal potential. The Scott Expedition will be both the greatest and most meaningful challenge I’ve ever taken on. With the help of key sponsors including Land Rover, I aim able to fulfil a life-long dream and at the same time recognise the remarkable achievements of Captain Scott and his men, using the benefits of modern technology to re-tell his story and create mine”.

Ben is best known for skiing solo to the North Pole in 2004, and for blogging live from his expeditions. He is the third in history and the youngest by ten years to reach the North Pole alone and on foot

In his home and work life, Ben drives a Land Rover Discovery. This vehicle enables him to travel to many training locations, as well as providing the space required to house all of his specialist equipment. With the history-making Scott Expedition, he will go further to demonstrate the spirit of “Above and Beyond” that’s at the heart of the Land Rover brand

Technology

2 x Intel 4th Generation Sony Vaio Pro Ultrabooks to blog daily and regularly send back content for the Scott Expedition YouTube channel The Ultrabooks have SSD memory, so no moving parts to go wrong when it’s -40. They’re also super-light and have a class-leading battery life.

Iridium Nano tracker – an always-on tracking beacon that automatically sends our GPS coordinates back to Ben’s UK-based support team on an hourly basis

Land Rover

The technology that is now available to Ben has developed considerably since Captains Scott’s mission in the early 1900s; the world of Land Rover has also evolved significantly since it was founded 65 years ago. With continuous advances in design and engineering and high-tech systems giving today’s models even greater off-road capabilities and on-board connectivity. At the same time, Land Rovers have retained at their heart the same essential principle of all-terrain ability that inspired the original, in the same way as Scott’s polar ambition remains central to what Ben Saunders wants to achieve

Although Land Rover vehicles will not play a physical role in Antarctica, they are highly valued by Ben as his vehicle of choice for all types of occasion – with the versatility to carry all the kit he needs to the remote training areas beyond the Arctic Circle, and take him across the UK on a busy schedule of speaking engagements and personal appearances. A great supporter of the Land Rover Discovery 4 – with its reputation as the go-to vehicle for many modern explorers – he says that it is “never just a journey” in a Land Rover as the brand is so closely associated with “adventure and excitement”

Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true breadth of capability across the model range. Defender, Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque each define the world’s 4×4 sectors. Land Rover products are currently sold in 178 global markets

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